Power plant



March 9 1926.

R. WAGNER POWER PLANT Filed Nov. 22,

WHW

I l 1 l ll IL E 2 FRa/n F550 WATER Tar/K 1510671753, 7171001., Wan EAfliiozwys Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

BUIDOLF WAGNER, F HAMBURG, GERMAN Y, ASSIGN OR TO THE SUPERHEATER COK-PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION. OEDELAWABE.

POWER PLANT A pumionfiled November 22,1923. Serial No. 676,453.

' The object of my invention is to render such a power plant moresuitable for use in larger units of say 50 to 2000 horse powers and toreducethe space-occupied by such plant and itsweight. This object isaccomplished by choosing the parts of the power plant and arranging themin such a manner.

that the limited space available on vehicles of the kind mentioned willbest] be utilized without unduly increasing the weight to be carried.

With this object in view I arrange in combination with a steam turbine,preferably a high speed turbine, a transmission or reduction gear, asteam generator being adapt ed to generate steam vat a pressure higherthan now usually employed and being con- I structed in such a manner asto occupy but a limited space, and means for conveying the .workingmedium or fluid in a continuous closed path through the whole plant. Iprefer to employ as steam generator a water tube boiler having smallpipes, as this type of boiler is especially adapted for high pres suresand requires only a small s ace. A

continuous closed path for the wor ing medium is established in the mostadvantageous manner by condensing the medium after its passage throu hthe turbine either by direct or by in irect condensation. In both casesair is employed as cooling means, in the ly been made to adapt a steamturbine drive to the above mentioned purposes, especially to drivinglocomotives. These attempts, however, always contemplated the use of theusual heavy locomotive boiler, which on the one hand does not permit thegeneration of steam" at such high pressures as is necessary forobtaining an essentially higher economy than hitherto. On the other handwhen using the usual locomotive boiler there is not enough spaceavailable for the advantageous arrangement of an air-cooled condenser.Whereas in these attempts the condensation of the working medium wasincomplete or whereas there was no conden'sation at all, the use of awater tube boiler with small pipes was impossible in practice, becausethe continuous service without interruption of such water tube boilerwith small tubes is not feasible, particularly with locomotives orportable engines in their present form of construction when impure watermust be used and the steam pressure is to be increased above the usuallimits. On the other hand it is the essential increase of the steam:pressure, especially when combined with a high superheat of the steamwhich results in such a decrease in steam consumption that suflicientspace becomes available for the production of condensation by airwithout increasing theiweight to be carried above the admissible limits.v

In the drawing an embodiment of the invention is diagrammaticallyrepresented by way of an example v Fig. 1 shows the invention embodiedon a portable engine in a longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe same, certain parts shown in Fig. 1 being omitted; Fig. 3 and Fig. 4are cross sections taken on the lines 33 and 4-4, respectively, of Fig.1.

' Referring to the drawing 1 is a water tube boiler which may be heatedby burning oil or pulverized coal. Behind the water pipes 2 may bearranged a steam superheater 3 which may be followed by a feed waterheater 4 in which the combustion gases are further utilized and behindwhich ipe 6 the combustion gases escape, whereas resh air enters throu hthe inlet 7. As this inlet 7 is situated ehind the recooling apparatusfor the injection water the air for combustion is alread somewhatpre-heated and accelerated. A ter having passed the air heater the airfor combustion is led through the channel 8 to the fan 9, which may bedriven by a small steam turbine 10. From the fan 9 the air passes intothe air chamber 11 and from that chamber through the shutting off andregulation member 12 and then through the air nozzle 13 into thecombustion chamber 14 of the boiler. The numeral 15 indicates one ormore oil Sprayers or burners. 16 is the main throttle. From this devicewhich may be a valve, the steam passes in the direction of the arrow atfirst to the superheater 3 and then to the turbine 17, which may beconstructed as a socalled high speed turbine having only one t rbinecasing or, in the case of a large drop of pressure, a casing which isdivided into several parts. From the exhaust steam chamber of the lowpressure part the steam passes directly downwards into an injectioncondenser 18 which may be used as the foundation for the turbine and thetransmission or reduction gear. 19 is this gear which, in order to makethe arrangement as rigid as possible, is connected directly to theturbine. In the example represented in the drawing a dynamo 20 is drivenby the turbine 17 which dynamogenerates the our rent for the motors 39of the driving wheels as well as for lighting or other purposes. Thewhole plant is mounted on the frame 21 with the driving wheels 22, whichmay be connected in known manner by a caterpillar drive. 23 is the framefor the dynamo, which frame is best connected to the part 18 in order toobtain a good setting forthe shaft of the dynamo and for thedriven shaftof the transmission gear 19 with relation to each other. 24. is anair-cooled recooling apparatus for the injection water which apparatusis mounted on the front portion of the whole plant and may beconstructed in the usual way known in the art of, coolers for motors. 25is the fan forthe cooler represented as a propeller which may be drivenby a small steam turbine 26 with transmission gear. 27 is a ringcarrying the cooler 24 which ring serves at the same time as a guide forthe air flowing in the direction of the arrow 28 and is connected to theengine casing 30 by means of arms or brackets 29. The injection water tobe cooled is led to the cooler 24 through the pipe 32 by means of thecentrifugal pump31 which draws the watervfrom the mixing chamber 18. Thepump 31 may likewise be driven by a small high speedsteam turbine 33with transmission gear. The cooled water flown from the cooler 24through the pipe 34 to the injection member 35. 36 is a turbo-pump forthe boiler feed water. 37 designates the floor of the engine room, 38its entrance door and 39 the electric motors for the driving wheels.

dense-r would then be recooled again and again in-the cooler 24.

Among the advantages: derived from the combination provided for by theinvention, especially originating in the use of an entirely closedcontinuous path of the working medium, an essential increase in economyis to be named in the first place. Further the incommodities of repeatedtaking in of .water and of repeated cleaning of the boiler as isrequired whenworking noncondensing are done away with, so that thelocomotive is available for use for longer uninterrupted periods, whichis obviously of great importance in the operation of railroads. The useof a high pressure boiler results in relatively small dimensions of theboiler as well as of the turbine with gear, so that with a given maximumweight a plant of much greater capacity than hitherto may be carried, afact which is of special importance for portable engines. Or, in orderto have an easily controllablevdrive of the driving wheels of thevehicle or of the machines to be driven, an electric current generatormay be carriedwhich drives the motors of the.

driving wheelsor of the engines to be driven. Such indirect drive of thedriving wheels is most advantageous for the reason that thusthedetrimental effect of reaction of an irregular rotatingspeed (caused, e.g., by inaccuracies of the track) upon the thin turbine shaft and uponthe shaft of the first high speedgear pinion are neutralized.

When a portable engine having the features of the invention 1s used, e.g., for intermittent'stationary working the air condensation gives stillanother economic advantage, as the warm air of the condenser or recoolermay be employed for heating or drying, urposes, a fact of greatimportance especial y for agricultural service. In such cases,where'with respect to the short duration of working the plant theeconomy of the power plant proper is not of paramount importance and autilization of the heat still contained in the cooling air is possible,or when a very simple turbine having but a few stages is desired, it ispreferable, considering the high boiler pressure, to condense the steamat pressures which are substantially equal to atmospheric pressure orabove atmospheric. This results in the further advantage that owing tothe greater drop in temperature between steam and injection water andcooling air on the one hand the surface condenser or recooler may beessentially smaller than when working with high vacuum and on the otherhand the temperature of the escaping cooling air is higher and thereforemore suitable for certain purposes (e. g., heating of rooms, drying,etc.).

1. A power plant for automotive vehicles comprising a high speedturbine, means connected with and driven by said turbine for propellingthe vehicle, a high pressure steam generator for generating steam forsaid turblne, an air-cooled condensing means, connections between saidgenerator, turbine and condensing means to provide a closed path for thecontinuous circulation of the working medium, the said high pressuresteam generator including a water tube boiler having small pipes, asuperheater, a feed water heater, and a preheater for the combustionair, all arranged one behind the other substantially. in contactingrelationship in the path of the combustion gases, the inlet to thepreheater being arranged immediately behind the condensing means, anescape for the combustion gases connected to the preheater,

2. A power plant for automotive vehiclescomprising a high speed turbine,means connected with and driven by said turbine for propelling thevehicle, a high pressure steam;

generator for generating the workin medium for said turbine, an aircooled condensing means arranged on the front part of the vehicle, thesaid generator including a water tube boiler, a superheater, a feedwater heater, and a preheater for the combustion air, all compactlyarranged one behind the other in the path of the combustion gases inclose proximity to each other, a casing surrounding said generatorelements to form a unitary construction, the inlet to the preheaterbeing arranged immediately behind 4 the condensing means, an escape forthe combustion gases connected to the preheater, means for drawing thecooling air over the cooling surface of the condensing means, and a fanfor conveying the combustion air 'from said preheater to said generator.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RUDOLF WAGNER;

